A West Liberty area teen led law enforcement on a pursuit Tuesday evening that resulted in him crashing the stolen vehicle he was operating, followed by his transport to Mary Rutan Hospital for treatment of injuries.
Caleb Baumgardner, 15, was transported by Bellefontaine EMS to the hospital after the crash at 6:06 p.m. on County Road 29 near County Road 55. Deputies of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office report he was pinned in the 1997 Ford F-250 pickup after the crash and he had to be extricated by mechanical means upon the arrival of fire and EMS personnel on the scene, which also included Tri-Valley and West Liberty fire departments.
At 5:49 p.m., dispatchers at the sheriff’s office received a report from Champaign County regarding a stolen vehicle, being operated by the 15-year-old. Dispatchers stated the teen’s cell phone was last pinged at 1332 County Road 1, and the Bellefontaine Police Department also was notified.
At 5:58 p.m., a West Liberty Police Department officer reported he was pursuing the suspect vehicle northbound on U.S. Route 68 passing by Township Road 30, with speed at approximately 80 mph. Deputies traveled in that direction in attempt to deploy stop sticks if needed.
During the pursuit, the West Liberty officer reported that the suspect almost struck several vehicles head on and that the pursuit continued eastbound onto Gunntown Road in Bellefontaine. The officer said the suspect the lost control and drove into a field on Township Road 179 off C.R. 29.
Deputies were able to join the pursuit, and said Caleb began heading eastbound on C.R. 29 with no headlights and nearly struck another vehicle that turned westbound onto C.R. 29 from T.R. 179. Speeds ranged from 68 to 73 mph, deputies said.
Then at 6:06 p.m., the driver reportedly went off the right side of C.R. 29 and overcorrected, and then went back onto the right side of the road, striking a steep ditch and a tree.
The teen was transported to the hospital, and he faces charges of receiving stolen property and failure to comply with the order or signal of a peace officer from the West Liberty Police Department. Deputies also cited him for failure to control.
The pickup was owned by Dustin A. Baumgardner and it sustained heavy damage in the crash.